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Thursday, May 5, 2011

LSC Roundup 5-5

Javelinas Ponder's Battle Against Type 1 Diabetes off of the Diamond - Tyler Garrett, KRISTV
KINGSVILLE - Javelina freshman pitcher Dallas Ponder has been through a lot in his first year of college. He's seen action in 10 games pitching 20 innings, while registering 14 strikeouts. He also helped guide the Javelinas back to the Lone Star Conference Tournament, but all that aside his most powerful accomplishment didn't even take place on the diamond.

As earlier this year Ponder was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, he said he wasn't even aware that he was sick until he realized that he had lost nearly 40 pounds in a little over 3 months.

"At first I thought I might not play baseball anymore, but then the doctors all reassured me that I would still be able to play and that lots of athletes have been through this same thing before," he said.

The diabetes took its toll on him physically, including his performances on the field.

"I lost a couple miles an hour on my fast ball, but now with my weight back everything is getting back to normal same speed," he said.

Area college report/Postcard home - San Antonio Express News
INCARNATE WORD BASEBALL: Kirk Jewasko, a junior left-hander from East Central, ended the regular season with a five-hitter and 11 strikeouts in a 22-2 seven- inning victory over Southeastern Oklahoma as the Cardinals claimed the top seed in the Lone Star Conference tournament.

Jewasko enters Saturday's tournament opener in Abilene against sixth-seeded Texas A&M-Kingsville with an LSC-leading 11-1 record and 96 strikeouts.

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ASU SOFTBALL: Aloha, LSC tourney - Nathan Wright, San Angelo Standard Times
SAN ANGELO, Texas — When Elsa Apo and Shana Tafiti played high school softball against each other in Hawaii, they had no idea that just a few years later they would be teammates in San Angelo.

Yet the two Hawaiians, Apo from Ewa Beach and Tafiti from Kalaheo, will join the rest of the Angelo State softball team at the Lone Star Conference tournament this weekend in Durant, Okla.

ASU, the No. 1 seed from the South Division, will be looking to win its fourth consecutive LSC title.

Apo and Tafiti were a big part of the 40-10 regular season that got the 'Belles to the tournament. However, they took much different paths to get to ASU.

No. 22 Lady Buffs hitting on all cylinders - Terrence Hunley, Amarillo Globe News
For the third straight season, the West Texas A&M softball team qualified for the Lone Star Conference tournament that begins today in Durant, Okla.

The Lady Buffs, ranked No. 22, finished third in the Lone Star Conference South division.

There will be eight games in the tourney the first day with four games starting at noon. First-game winners will meet at 2:30 with first-game losers playing elimination games at 2:30. Five games are slated for Friday. The championship game is at noon Saturday. An if-necessary game would be played at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Lady Buffs won 14 of their last 17 games to end the regular season on an upswing.

"Obviously, we are playing pretty well right now and we need to continue to do that going into the tournament," WT coach Kevin Blaskowski said. "It's a great field, anybody can win it. The key is going to be the team that plays well. We all play two games (today). Hopefully, we've got enough offense to get us through those two games."

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Trio of LSC teams plus individual advance to national tournament - LSC Office
Abilene Christian and Central Oklahoma tied for the South Central/Central Regional crown, while Cameron finished third as all three Lone Star Conference teams advanced to the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships on May 16-20 in Florence, Ala.

The regional tournament wrapped up Wednesday with 36 holes after the second round was rained out Tuesday at Cherry Blossom Golf Course in Georgetown, Ky.

Final results: Team / Individual
West Texas A&M’s Ben Hargis will also represent the LSC as an individual after carding a 217 (77-71-69). He claimed the final spot following a playoff with Midwestern State’s Jeremy LeGuen.

UCO rallied in the final-round to earn their ninth tournament title of the season, overcoming a 10-stroke deficit to finish with an 876 (296-290-290) total.

ACU shot 876 (289-287-300) as a team, led by individual medalist Cyril Bouniol with a seven-under-par 209 (66-70-73). Bouniol won the regional by four strokes over UCO’s Colby Shrum (213).

CU’s Trey Lawson and Jason Timmis led the Aggie charge into third-place with an 881 (290-302-289). Lawson was one of five golfer’s under-par at 215, while Timmis shot an even-par 216.

The No. 1-ranked Bronchos used a final-round rally to earn their ninth tournament title of the 2010-11 season here Wednesday, overcoming a 10-stroke deficit to tie fifth-rated Abilene Christian for the South Central/Central Regional crown and earn a spot in the national tournament.

UCO shot a closing 290 to finish three trips around the waterlogged Cherry Blossom Golf Club with an 876 total, equaling ACU's total. Cameron was third in the 20-team tournament at 881, with Missouri-St. Louis (893) and Central Missouri (893) rounding out the top five teams that advance to the NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championships on May 16-20 in Florence, Ala.

“I can't say enough about my guys and how hard they fought today,” UCO coach Dax Johnston said. “They never gave up and kept battling to the end. We want to win every tournament we play and these guys weren't satisfied with just qualifying for nationals, they wanted to win this tournament.

“It was a long, hard day and there were a lot of ebbs and flows of emotion, but we kept things in check and played solid all day. We're looking forward to going to the national tournament and seeing what we can do there.”

Bouniol, who finished second at the tournament a year ago, shot a 6-under 66 during the first round Monday. The tournament was postponed Tuesday because of rain, forcing the final two rounds to be played Wednesday.

The Wildcats shared the team title with Lone Star Conference rival Central Oklahoma, which shot a 290 during its final round to make up 10 strokes on ACU. Cameron, another LSC team, finished third (881) out of 20 teams.

Tyler Sheppard and Trey Sullivan both had top-20 finishes for the Wildcats. Sheppard tied for 15th with a 221, while Sullivan tied for 18th with a 222. Alex Carpenter (45th, 227) and Kyle Dickerson (56th, 228) rounded out the ACU team.

The top five teams and the top two players not on one of those five teams advance to the national tournament May 16-20 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at The Shoals in Florence, Ala.

Lawson, Timmis Lead Aggies to Berth in NCAA National Championships - CU Golf
Behind the play of sophomore Trey Lawson and senior Jason Timmis, the Cameron Aggies men’s golf team qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championships after placing third in the Midwest/South Central Regional held at the par-72, 6,842 yard Cherry Blossom Golf Club in Georgetown, Ky..

The team finished the event with a 17-over 881 and was five strokes back from tournament co-champions Abilene Christian and Central Oklahoma.

After a rain delayed day of competition, all teams played 36 holes of golf on Wednesday and CU posted their best total of the event in the third round, a 289, to maintain their hold on third place.

Lawson finished tied for fourth after posting a one-under 215 for all three rounds while Timmis finished in a tie for sixth with an even 216.

ACU’s Cyril Bounil won the individual crown with a seven-under 209, four strokes better than UCO’s Colby Shrum who finished in second.

The top five teams from the event plus two individuals not associated with a team qualified for play in the national event to be held May 16-20 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at The Shoals in Florence, Ala.

Along with CU, ACU and UCO, Missouri-St. Louis and Central Missouri also qualified for nationals.

WT's Hargis to play in national tourney - Amarillo Globe News
It took 37 holes Wednesday, but West Texas A&M junior Ben Hargis handled the long day and dreary conditions, firing a birdie on the first playoff hole to secure a berth in the NCAA Division II national men's golf tournament.

"There were nerves on that last hole," Hargis said. "There were about 50 people watching. But when I was on the tee I told myself this is what I play for."

LeGuen misses out on spot to NCAA tourney - Times Record News
Midwestern State freshman Jeremy LeGuen only needed to par his 54th hole at the Midwest/South Central Regional at the Cherry Blossom Golf Course on Wednesday to clinch an individual berth in the NCAA Division II Championships.

But with his only double-bogey of the tournament on the par-4, 406-yard 7th hole, he posted a final round of 76 for a 1-over-par 217.

"Jeremy had a great tournament," said MSU coach Jeff Ray. "He just missed the fairways the last four or five holes and it cost him some shots."

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Rams Add Five for 2012 Baseball Season - ASU Baseball
SAN ANGELO – Days after narrowly missing a return trip to the Lone Star Conference tournament for the first time, head coach Kevin Brooks and the Angelo State baseball team announced the signing of five student-athletes Wednesday afternoon who they think will help them return next season. The signing class includes three incoming freshman in Graylon Brown, Jayce Cobb and Seth Kendrick, as well as a pair of junior college transfers in Ryan Greer and Quaid McKinnon.

Moore is joining Tarleton after three years as a varsity starter at Justin Northwest High School. Named team MVP her junior and senior seasons, Moore averaged 11.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and two steals per game. She also had a career high of 26 points and set a school record for free throws made in a game with 15 conversions.

Not only was Moore a standout at her school, but she also received recognition in the form of first team All-District as a senior, second team All-District as a junior and honorable mention as a sophomore. She was also named to the All-Wise County first team her senior year and recognized as the Distinguished women's athlete of the year at Justin Northwest.